Column Shoe Manufactured From One Piece of Sheet Metal

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a bent column shoe formed from one piece of sheet metal with a material thickness, the sheet metal having a first side and a second side, the bent column shoe comprising an anchor section with a longitudinal axis and a width axis, wherein the anchor section has a first end and a second end, —a supporting section with a first supporting end and a second supporting end, wherein the first supporting end is in extension of the second end of the anchor section, a support section with a support face, arranged substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the anchor section, and wherein the support section is arranged in extension of the supporting section, and at least one fastening face arranged substantially perpendicular to the support face, and wherein the anchor section, the supporting section, the support section and the at least one fastening face are manufactured from one and the same piece of sheet metal, characterised in that the anchor section, measured along the width axis, comprises at least three layers of the sheet metal arranged to provide at least three times the material thickness relative to the support section measured along the longitudinal axis.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a bent column shoe formed from onepiece of sheet metal.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Light building structures such as carports, pergolas, outhouses andsimilar are often not built on a stone or concrete foundation. They aretypically constructed from a wooden structure coated with boards orsheet material. However, the posts of the wooden structure cannot beinserted directly into the ground, as in the long term, this would causethe wood to weaken due to moisture from the soil. Therefore, columnshoes, also called post bases, are used to lift the columns a distanceoff the ground, so that there is no contact between the columns and thesoil. In addition, the column shoes are also used to ensure that thecolumns can be easily placed at the same level, thereby minimising theneed to adapt each column/post.

Since the column shoe is thus the part in contact with the soil or thesubstrate for the building structure, the column shoe is required to beable to withstand the moisture in the substrate, direct rain impact, andrainwater collected at the column shoe. Column shoes manufactured frommetal are typically galvanised in order to be able to withstand thismoisture impact for a sufficient period of time. However, galvanisationis an expensive part of the manufacturing process, as the column shoecannot be subjected to a galvanisation process until after completedmachining and assembly. This is due to the fact that joints and burrsetc. will exist which require the galvanisation process to be the lastprocess to be carried out.

The column shoe needs to carry the load from the structure above it. Thecolumn shoe being a substantially slim elongated structure, theproperties are often made using Euler formula but typically supported byexperimentally obtained values as well. As a starting point, suchcalculation uses the load subjected to the column shoe directly on thesupport section and hence directly on the anchor section i.e. in anangle of zero degrees to the longitudinal axis of the anchor section. Inthis ideal situation, the amount of material in a cross-sectional viewis important.

Typically, the particular part in contact with the column shoe is acolumn or post made of wood, concrete or wood-fibre composite having agreater cross-sectional area or radial extension than the body of thecolumn shoe. Hence, there is a risk that the column shoe is subjected toa load a distance away from the centre of the body of the column shoeand therefore a torque is applied. Hence, apart from the direct load onthe column shoe, it is highly necessary to pay attention that a slimanchor section of the column shoe could be in risk of buckling due tothe torque also.

It is a first object of the present invention to provide a column shoethat is strong and still simple and cheap to manufacture.

It is a further an object of the present invention to provide a columnshoe that can be produced in a sufficiently strong design, in whichgalvanisation is carried out before production and assembly.

The present invention is hereinafter referred to as a ‘column shoe’,wherein column shoe is a broad term for an element on which both acolumn or a post or similar building element of a structure can besupported.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a bent column shoe formed from onepiece of sheet metal with a material thickness comprising:

-   -   an anchor section with a longitudinal axis and a width axis,        wherein the anchor section has a first end and a second end,    -   a supporting section with a first supporting end and a second        supporting end, wherein the first supporting end is in extension        of the second end of the anchor section,    -   a support section with a support face, arranged substantially        perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the anchor section,        and wherein the support section is arranged in extension of the        supporting section, and    -   at least one fastening face arranged substantially perpendicular        to the support face, and wherein the anchor section, the        supporting section, the support section and the at least one        fastening face are manufactured from one and the same piece of        sheet metal, wherein the anchor section, measured along the        width axis, comprises at least three layers of the sheet metal        arranged to provide at least three times the material thickness        relative to the support section measured along the longitudinal        axis.

In this way, a high strength is achieved in the anchor section in asimple manner without the sections of the column shoe being weldedtogether. This strength has thus been obtained by folding alone. As nowelding is used to connect the sections, additional freedom is obtainedin choice of material. It is thus possible to use e.g. galvanised sheetmaterial, where the sheet material is galvanised before the column shoeis bent. This results in a higher corrosion resistance, as it is easierto control galvanisation when clean sheet material is galvanised. Ifwelding is used, the column shoe must be galvanised after welding, andas welding often causes burrs, galvanising after welding will incur muchgreater risk of having areas with low-quality galvanisation.

Furthermore, when the anchor section is bent in this way a high mass ofmaterial i.e. the amount of material in relation to the totalcross-sectional area is achieved. This means that the anchor section iscapable of withstanding high loads subjected from the structure thecolumn shoe supports. When bending the column shoe only, a small amountof energy is used during the manufacturing process, and hence the finalproduct achieves a low carbon footprint compared to e.g. welded columnshoes.

In an embodiment, the at least three layers are substantially parallel.

In an embodiment, the second end of the supporting section may extend tobe flush with the support face.

In an embodiment, the second end of the supporting section may have alayout of the sheet metal wherein the two layers the furthest apart fromeach other are connected via at least one additional layer in a bent orcurved line i.e. a line different from straight. In this way it isachieved that the second end of the supporting section in particular therim of the second end of the supporting section provide a larger surfaceto additionally support the beam, post or column to be supported by thesupport face. Having a line different from straight the second end ofthe supporting section adds additionally to the total area of thesupporting face compared to a straight line.

In an embodiment, the column shoe is formed from one piece of sheetmetal, wherein the width of the anchor section comprises four layers ofsheet metal i.e. four times the material thickness of the supportsection. In this way, additional strength in the anchor section isobtained.

Furthermore, bent column shoes can be formed from one piece of sheetmetal, wherein anchor sections comprise three 180° bends and foursubstantially parallel flat areas.

In this way, it is achieved in a simple manner that the anchor sectionhas a strong overall material thickness in the width direction. It ispossible in this way to achieve the strong overall material thicknessalone by folding.

The bent column shoe may be formed from one piece of sheet metal,wherein the supporting section comprises a supporting end part, the endface of which comprises a support edge at substantially the same levelas the support face of the support section.

In this way, an additional support face is obtained under the column orpost, which is maintained resting on the support face. Furthermore, itis achieved that the load from the post or the column is partiallydistributed in a straight line across the anchor section. Over thisarea, the pressure from the post or the column thus only affects thecolumn shoe with a minimal moment.

Furthermore, the bent column shoe may be formed from one piece of sheetmetal, wherein the second supporting end of the supporting section has awidth which is wider than the first supporting end. In this way,increased strength is achieved in the transition between the supportsection and the supporting section. The transition can thus absorb alarger moment applied to the support section.

Furthermore, the bent column shoe may be formed from one piece of sheetmetal, wherein the supporting section expands evenly in width from thefirst support end to the second supporting end. In this way, productionof the column shoe is facilitated. In this way, it is also possible toadjust the width of the support section, as an increased width of thesecond supporting end may also expand the support section.

In an embodiment, the width of the anchor section may comprise fourlayers of sheet metal providing four times the material thickness of thesupport section.

In an embodiment, the layers of the anchor sections may have at leasttwo substantially parallel layers and one or more slanted or curvedlayer(s). In this way, it is achieved that a certain overall width ofthe anchor section may be achieved. Furthermore, the manufacturingprocess may be adjusted to a specific end use of the column shoe.

In an embodiment, the bends for providing the layers of the anchorsection may be less than 180°. In this way, it is achieved that thematerial subjected to smaller stress.

In an embodiment, the material of the sheet metal constitutes more than25% of the cross-sectional view of the anchor section. In this way, theanchor section is more resistant to buckling.

In an embodiment, the galvanized material for manufacturing the columnshoe may be comprise a steel material according to EN10346 and a coatingequivalent to 50 μm Zn achieved by hot galvanization. In this way, it isachieved that the pre-galvanized material i.e. galvanized before themanufacturing of the column shoe has galvanic migration of the coating,and hence effectively the full column shoe is automatically galvanizedwhen in final use.

Likewise, the bent column shoe may be formed from one piece of sheetmetal, wherein the side faces of the anchor section comprise recesses,and/or wherein the bent areas of the anchor sections comprise recesses.In this way, good adhesion is obtained when embedding in e.g. concrete.

The bent column shoe may be formed from one piece of sheet metal,wherein the recesses of the side faces have an inclined longitudinalaxis relative to the longitudinal axis of the anchor section. In thisway, longer recesses are achieved without weakening the anchor section.

In an embodiment, the bent column shoe is formed from one piece of sheetmetal, wherein the column shoe is manufactured from galvanisedhigh-strength steel such as S220GD, S250GD, S280GD, S320GD or S350GD. Inthis way, a high-strength column shoe is achieved, which can still bemanufactured in e.g. a follower tool.

In an embodiment, the sheet metal may be stainless steel according theEN10088 having a molybdenum content of 2% or more. In this way, thesheet metal is still formable in a multi station stamping/die processand hence the column shoe is suitable for use near particular saltyconditions e.g. near the sea.

Reference is made above to European standard specifications. Thecorresponding US standard specifications are i) ASTM A653 for pre-coatedmetal, ii) ASTM A924-18 for general requirements for steel sheet,metallic-coated by the hot-dip process, and iii) ASTM A480-14b forgeneral requirements for flat-rolled stainless and heat-resisting steelplate, sheet, and strip.

Furthermore, the column shoe may be formed from one piece of sheetmetal, wherein the material thickness of the initial plate metal is 1mm-5 mm, or 1.5 mm-4.5 mm, or 2 mm-4 mm, or 2.5 mm-3.5 mm.

Moreover, the bent column shoe may be formed from one piece of sheetmetal, wherein the fastening section and/or the support section comprisea number of holes for fastening between the column shoe and the post tobe mounted.

In an embodiment, the support section is deeper than the anchor section.Wherein the support section is more than 50% deeper than the anchorsection. In this way, it is achieved that the support section canreceive and cover the entire cross-sectional area of the post which ismounted in the column shoe.

In an embodiment, the at least one fastening section comprises cut-offcorners. In this way, the risk of injury to workers handling the columnshoes is decreased.

In addition, the holes in the one fastening section may be offset inrelation to the holes in the other fastening section.

In this way, it is achieved that e.g. a post or column of wood to befastened through the holes are less likely to crack.

Further, a circular cross-sectional shadow area of the anchor sectionmay be 10 mm-50 mm, or 12.5 mm-40 mm or more preferred 15 mm-30 mm.

In this way it is achieved, that the anchor section of the column shoemay be inserted in a drilled hole. This is particularly relevant insituations wherein the column shoe is anchored in existing solidconcrete, cliff or other hard material that is not e.g. poured aroundthe anchor section. In these situations, it is a significant reductionin time and expenses to have the hole to be drilled as small aspossible.

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a column shoewherein the base material is a coil and the column shoe is manufacturedhaving the longitudinal axis of the anchor section arranged transverselyto the longitudinal axis of the base material during the bending of theentire column shoe.

Finally, the width of the support section may be changed withoutchanging the transverse dimension of the base material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The drawings only serve as explanation of the present invention andshould in no way be considered as limiting to the description of thepresent invention. It furthermore applies that shapes and sizes in thedrawings of various parts are schematic and intended to provide a betterunderstanding of the invention and should therefore not be used tospecifically limit the shapes and sizes of various parts in the presentapplication. Those skilled in this area will be able to select thepossible shapes and sizes to implement the invention under the guidanceof the present application.

FIG. 1A perspectively shows a column shoe according to the invention,

FIG. 1B shows a side view of the column shoe of FIG. 1A,

FIG. 1C shows a bottom view of the column shoe of FIG. 1A,

FIG. 1D shows a front view of the column shoe of FIG. 1A,

FIG. 1E shows a cross-section along the line A-A of the column shoeshown in FIG. 1D,

FIG. 2A shows an additional embodiment of a column shoe according to theinvention,

FIG. 2B shows a bottom view of the column shoe of FIG. 2A,

FIG. 2C shows a cross-section along the line A-A of the column shoeshown in FIG. 2A,

FIG. 3A perspectively shows the column shoe of FIG. 1A embedded in ablock,

FIG. 3B shows a top view of the column shoe of FIG. 3A,

FIG. 3C shows a section along the line A-A of the column shoe shown inFIG. 3A,

FIG. 4 perspectively shows the column shoe shown in FIG. 3A with a postmounted,

FIG. 5 shows a light wooden structure, e.g. a carport in which fourposts are held by column shoes as shown in FIG. 1A,

FIG. 6A-6C show a further embodiment of the column shoe according to theinvention,

FIG. 7A shows the flat sheet metal piece before bending to theembodiment shown in FIG. 1, and

FIG. 7B shows the flat sheet metal piece before bending to theembodiment shown in FIG. 6A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention willbe described in more detail in the following.

FIGS. 1A through 1E all show the column shoe 1 in different perspectivesand sections, and all sub-elements can be mutually referenced to thefigures in order to see reference numerals. FIG. 1A perspectively showsa bent column shoe 1 formed from a single piece of sheet metal having athickness wt. The column shoe 1 has an anchor section 2 with alongitudinal axis LA and a width axis BA, wherein the anchor section 2has a first end 3 and a second end 4. Seen in immediate extension of theanchor section 2 is a supporting section 5 with a first supporting end 6and a second supporting end 7, wherein the first supporting end 6 isthus in direct extension of the second end 4 of the anchor section 2.The supporting section 5 is connected to a support section 9 via a jointsection 8. The support section 9 has a support face 10, which isarranged substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis LA of theanchor section 2. The support section 9 may also be arranged at anglesother than approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of theanchor section. It is seen in this embodiment that the support section 9is divided into two sub-sections which cooperate as one support section9, and therefore both are indicated with the same reference numeral.Each of the sub-sections of the support section 9 furthermore have afastening face 11 arranged substantially perpendicular to the supportface 10. Perpendicular to both the longitudinal axis LA and the widthaxis BA is defined a depth axis DA, so that the total support area 10can be found by measuring (and multiplying) the length parallel to thewidth axis from fastening face to fastening face i.e. along the supportwidth BW and parallel to the depth axis along the support face 10,respectively. It is seen that the anchor section 2, the supportingsection 5, the support section 9 and the fastening face 11 aremanufactured from one and the same piece of sheet metal. It is seen thatthe corners 12 of the fastening faces 11 are bevelled/cut off, therebyminimising the risk of injury to the workers handling the column shoes.It should be understood from this figure that the entire column shoe 1is shaped from bends and punches only and is thus manufactured withoutwelds.

FIG. 1B shows a side view of a column shoe 1. It is seen that the anchorsection 2 has a number of recesses 15 in the actual bends 16, i.e. thearea where the anchor section 2 is bent approx. 180°. In the flat areas17, there are likewise a number of inclined recesses 18. It is stressedthat the shown recesses 16, 18 are examples of embodiments and that theycan have several forms. The purpose of the recesses 16, 18 is to ensurea good connection between the column shoe 1 and a material in which itis embedded, e.g. concrete. It is seen that the depth of the supportingsection 5 measured parallel to the depth axis DA grows from the firstsupporting end 6 to the second supporting end 7. It is seen that thesupporting section 5 along the depth axis DA stretches, substantially,to the back edge of the support section (not visible) and the fasteningface 11, respectively. It is also seen that the fastening face 11 hasholes 18 for receiving e.g. screws, bolts or nails.

FIG. 1C shows a bottom view of a column shoe 1, i.e. from the first end3 of the anchor section 2. It is thus the underside of the supportsection 9 that is seen, wherein the underside of the support section 9is opposite the support face 10 (not visible). In this view, the folds16 are clearly visible. Furthermore, it is seen that the bends 16 a, 16b, 16 c, jointly referred to as 16 when distinction is not necessary,are folds of approximately 180°, and each layer 17 of the fold has aflat extent, i.e. layers or flat areas 17. In this embodiment, it isseen that the layers 17 (flat areas 17) are substantially parallel, butit should be understood that one or more of the layers 17 in anotherembodiment may have another angle different from 180° relative to eachother. In a later embodiment, it is shown that the layers 17 do not needto be flat but could be curved.

FIG. 1D shows a front view of a column shoe 1 perpendicular to the widthaxis BA (see FIG. 1A). The figure shows that the support section 9comprises the entire area between the fastening faces 11. The figurealso shows that this embodiment, between the two sub-sections 9 a and 9b, comprises an upwardly extending supporting end part 20 with an endface having a support edge 21. It is seen that the support edge 21 issubstantially in the same plane as the support face 10. In this way, anadditional support face is thus obtained between the two sub-supportfaces. A joint area 25 is found in the transition between the supportsection 9 and the supporting section 5. As there are two sub-sections 9a, 9 b, there are thus also two joint areas 25. In this view, it isclearly seen in this embodiment of the column shoe 1 that the two folds16 a, 16 b have an angle a relative to each other. In this embodiment,the angle is below 45°. In this way, a wider support section 9 isobtained. It is furthermore achieved that the moment of resistance ofthe support section 9 is increased, as the supporting section 5 supportsthe support section 9 further away from the centre of the supportsection. A properly positioned post or column (not shown) will abut theentire support face 10 including the supporting edge 21, and thus haveits centre located centrally above the centre axis of the column shoe 1.The supporting section thus increases the strength, as part of the forceimpact will be transferred to the supporting section rather than thesub-section 9 a, 9 b of the support section 9. In this embodiment of thecolumn shoe 1, it is thus seen that measured along the width axis BA,the overall material thickness in the supporting section 5 as well as inthe anchor section, respectively, is more than four times the amount ofmaterial in each sub-section 9 a, 9 b of the support section 9 measuredalong the longitudinal axis LA.

FIG. 1E shows a cross-section of the second supporting end 7 of FIG. 1D.It is seen that the material thickness wt of the sheet metal measuredaccumulated along the width axis BA is four times the material thicknesswt of the support section measured along the longitudinal axis LA (seeFIG. 1A). In this embodiment, the substantially layers 17 (flat areas)of sheet metal are not all parallel. The two outermost ones are, in anycross-section, parallel, but as can be seen in FIG. 1D, there is not thesame distance between the layers 17 in two different cross-sections.

FIGS. 2A-2C show an embodiment of a column shoe 1 according to theinvention, wherein the supporting section 5 along the longitudinal axisis a direct extension of the anchor part 2, i.e. a direct extension inwhich the layers 17 (flat areas) are parallel, and in which the folds 16are 180° in both the supporting section 5 and the anchor section 2. Asseen in FIG. 2C the metal thickness wt of the sheet metal provide fourtimes the metal thickness across the width i.e. providing 12 mm of metalif the sheet metal thickness is 3 mm. Similar to the embodiment shown inFIG. 1, the supporting section 5 has an upwardly extending supportingend part 20 with a support edge 21. It is seen that in this embodiment,the angle between the support section 9 and the outermost layers 17 ofthe supporting section is substantially 90°, wherein in the embodimentshown in FIGS. 1A-1E, the angle between the outermost flat areas isgreater than 90°. It is furthermore seen (best in FIG. 2B), similar tothe embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A-1E, that the second supporting end 7has a greater extent along the depth axis DA than the first supportingend 6.

FIGS. 3A-3C show a column shoe 1, as shown in FIG. 1A, embedded in aconcrete block 30. It is seen that the supporting part 5 is not embeddedin the concrete block. In this way, a distance is obtained from thesubstrate to the support face 10, wherein the substrate in this case isthe surface 31 of the concrete block 30. In this way, it is avoided thatthe support face 10 and thus the bottom of a post (not shown, seepossibly FIG. 4) is at risk of being underwater or generally coming intocontact with moisture from the soil/substrate. It is also seen thatrecesses 15 are embedded in the concrete block 30 and thereby help toincrease the contact between the concrete block 30 and the column shoe1. The column shoe 1 is thus harder to pull out of the concrete. Thefastening faces 11 are substantially perpendicular to the surface 31 ofthe concrete block 30.

FIG. 4 shows an embedded column shoe 1 as shown in FIG. 3A with a post40 mounted. The post 40 stands on the support face 10 (not visible) andis attached to the fastening faces 11 using a number of screws 41.

FIG. 5 shows a carport 50, in which the supporting posts 40 are mountedin embedded column shoes 1 according to the invention. In this case, thecolumn shoes 1 are embedded in concrete blocks 30 but might as well beembedded in an entire concrete slab or other material.

FIG. 6A-6F show a further embodiment of the column shoe 1 having ananchor section 2 comprising a curved layer 60 of sheet metal. FIG. 6Ashows is a perspective view of a column shoe 1 having the curved layer60. It is shown that in similar way as the other embodiment the anchorsection 2 is bent, in this embodiment two times, to achieve that threelayers of sheet metal form the width BA of the anchor section 2. Hence,the width BA comprises at least three times the material of the sheetmetal. This is simply due to the thickness of the sheet metal. It is tobe understood that at some particular positions the edges of the sheetmetal may not be fully aligned with a bend and/or another edge andtherefore at some particular positions it may have less material.However, this is taken into account when calculating the overallcapabilities i.e. load resistance. In this embodiment, the width of theanchor section 2 and the supporting section 5 is the same. However, itis to be understood that the width of the supporting section may beexpanded in a similar way as shown in FIG. 1A by straightening thecurvature of the S-shape towards the support surface.

FIG. 6B shows a front view of the column shoe 1. It is shown that theanchor section 2 continues has the same width BA as the supportingsection (not indicated with reference in this view). Hence, it is shownthat that the entire upright structure i.e. the anchor section and thesupporting section ends in the same level as the support surface 10.Hence, in this embodiment the second end of the supporting section i.e.the second end of the entire upright structure 61 is substantially flushwith the support surface 10.

FIG. 6B shows a top view of the embodiment of the column shoe 1 shown inFIG. 6A and 6B. In this view, the curved layer 60 is clearly visible.

FIG. 6D shows a sideview perpendicular to the sideview shown in FIG. 6A.Similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1B the supporting section 5increases in width i.e. along the support depth BA (se FIG. 1B) in thedirection towards the support section.

FIG. 6E shows a cross-sectional view of the anchor section 2 in e.g.FIG. 6D. In this cross-sectional view, it is seen that that in thisembodiment the layers of sheet metal 60, 65, 66 (similar to the layers17 in other embodiments) constitute at least three times the materialthickness wt seen along the width of the anchor section BA. It is shownthat the two layers 65, 66 are substantially parallel. The layer 60between the two layers 65, 66 forms an S-shape connecting the twoparallel layers 65, 66. It is to be understood that the twosubstantially parallel layers in another embodiment may be angled toeach other since the amount of material would not change.

FIG. 6F shows the cross-sectional view of the anchor section 2 as shownin FIG. 6E arranged in a circle indicating the minimal circular shadowarea 69 of the anchor section. Hence, it is shown that the anchorsection has a circular shadow area 69 having a diameter DSA. Inparticular, when the column shoe is to be installed in cliff material asis often the case in e.g. Norway and Sweden it is highly advantageous tominimise the size of the drill needed to drill the hole into which theanchor section should be put. Larger drills are themselves moreexpensive, but the drilling machine needs to be more powerful the biggerthe drill and hence require more power etc.

FIG. 7A shows the outline of the flat sheet material before bending intothe embodiment shown in FIG. 1A. It is to be understood that this pieceof flat sheet metal is a part of a long coil to be fed into the pressand bending machine. When manufacturing the column shoe, the centre line70 is kept in the same position in the tool during the wholemanufacturing process, and hence the centre line 70 is used to fix thesheet metal. Bending lines 71 a, 71 b and 71 c shown how the same pieceof flat sheet metal in an easy manner may be manufactured into columnshoes having different support surface 10 (see e.g. FIG. 1D). Using thebending line 71 a, a wide support section 10 a is achieved. When bendingin the bending lines 10 a, 10 b or 10 c, the material above (in the viewshown in FIG. 7A) result in a certain height of the fastening section11. This means that using the bending line 10 a provides the lowestheight of the fastening section 11. Using the bending line 10 b providesa lower height of the fastening section 11 than using the bending line10 a. Finally, using the bending line 10 c provides the highest heightof the fastening section 11 and hence the overall smallest width of thesupport surface 10. It is to be understood that the actual dimensionsmay be varied if a broader initial sheet metal material is used. It isseen that the initial sheet metal material is substantial symmetricalaround centre line 70. In order to achieve the anchor section 2 andsupporting section 5 as shown the embodiment in FIG. 2A, the sheet metalis bend around bending lines 72 a, 72 b and 72 c whereas thesubstantially parallel layers of sheet metal is achieved as shown inFIG. 2C.

FIG. 7B shows similar to FIG. 7A the initial material used to form anembodiment as shown in FIG. 6A.

It is to be understood that this piece of flat sheet metal is a part ofa long coil to be fed into the press and bending machine. Whenmanufacturing the column shoe, the centre line 70 is kept in the sameposition in the tool during the whole manufacturing process, and hencethe centre line 70 is used to fix the sheet metal. Bending lines 71 a,71 b and 71 c show how the same piece of flat sheet metal in an easymanner may be manufactured into column shoes having different supportsurface 10 (not shown, see e.g. FIG. 1D). Using the bending line 71 a, awide support section is achieved. When bending in the bending lines 10a, 10 b or 10 c, similar to the above description of FIG. 7A, differentwidth of support sections are achieved. Likewise, similar to thedescription above, this also results in a different height of thefastening section 11. It is seen that the initial sheet metal materialis substantial symmetrical around centre line 70. It is furthermore seenthat the initial sheet metal material is substantial symmetrical aroundthe centre line 70. In order to achieve the anchor section 2 andsupporting section 5 as shown the embodiment shown in FIG. 6A the sheetmetal is bent around bending lines 72 a, 72 b and 72 c whereas thesubstantially parallel layers of sheet metal is achieved as shown inFIG. 6A-6D.

1. A bent column shoe formed from one piece of sheet metal with amaterial thickness (wt), the sheet metal having a first side and asecond side , the bent column shoe comprising: an anchor section with alongitudinal axis and a width axis, wherein the anchor section has afirst end and a second end, a supporting section with a first supportingend and a second supporting end, wherein the first supporting end is inextension of the second end of the anchor section, a support sectionwith a support face, arranged substantially perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of the anchor section, and wherein the support sectionis arranged in extension of the supporting section, and at least onefastening face arranged substantially perpendicular to the support face,and wherein the anchor section, the supporting section, the supportsection and the at least one fastening face are manufactured from oneand the same piece of sheet metal, characterised in that the anchorsection, measured along the width axis, comprises at least three layersof the sheet metal arranged to provide at least three times the materialthickness (wt) relative to the support section measured along thelongitudinal axis.
 2. A bent column shoe formed from one piece of sheetmetal according to claim 1, wherein the at least three layers aresubstantially parallel.
 3. A bent column shoe formed from one piece ofsheet metal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein anchor sections comprisethree 180° bends and four substantially parallel flat areas.
 4. A bentcolumn shoe formed from one piece of sheet metal according to claim 1, 2or 3, wherein the supporting section comprises a supporting end part,the end face of which comprises a support edge at substantially the samelevel as the support face of the support section.
 5. A bent column shoeformed from one piece of sheet metal according to any of claims 1-4,wherein the second supporting end of the supporting section has a widthwhich is wider than the first supporting end.
 6. A bent column shoemanufactured from one piece of sheet metal according to claim 5, whereinthe supporting section expands evenly in width from the first supportend towards the second supporting end.
 7. A bent column shoe formed fromone piece of sheet metal according to any of claims 1-6, wherein theside faces of the anchor section comprise recesses, and/or wherein thebent areas of the anchor sections comprise recesses.
 8. A bent columnshoe formed from one piece of sheet metal according to any of claims1-7, wherein the column shoe is manufactured from galvanised steel suchas S220GD, S250GD, S280GD, S320GD or S350GD.
 9. A bent column shoeformed from one piece of sheet metal according to any of claims 1-8,wherein the material thickness of the initial plate metal is 1mm-5mm, or1.5mm-4.5mm, or 2mm-4mm, or 2.5mm-3.5mm.
 10. A bent column shoe formedfrom one piece of sheet metal according to any of claims 1-9, whereinthe fastening section(s) and/or the support section comprise a number ofholes for fastening between the column shoe and the post to be mounted.11. A bent column shoe according to claim 10 wherein the holes in theone fastening section are offset in relation to the holes in the otherfastening section.
 12. A bent column shoe according to any of thepreceding claims wherein a circular cross-sectional shadow area of theanchor section is 10mm-50mm, or 12.5mm-40mm or more preferred 15mm-30mm.13. A bent column shoe according to any of the preceding claims whereinthe column shoe is manufactured from stainless steel.
 14. Method ofmanufacturing a column shoe according to any of the claims 1-13 whereinthe base material is a coil, and the column shoe is manufactured havingthe longitudinal axis of the anchor section arranged transversely to thelongitudinal axis of the base material during the bending of the entirecolumn shoe.
 15. Method of manufacturing a column shoe according toclaim 14 wherein the width of the support section can be changed withoutchanging the transverse dimension of the base material.